The GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has raged on for more than a decade now.
Messi is the GOAT because he’s won more Ballon d’Ors.
Ronaldo is the GOAT because he’s won league titles in three different counties and on the international stage.
So, there’s only one way to settle it; Messi leaving Barcelona to move to a new country and win a league title.
Come to the Premier League then, Lionel.
The Argentine could well be doing that with Manchester City currently favourites to sign him.
By leaving his ‘comfort zone’ at the Camp Nou and winning a league title in England, would that mean Messi is the greatest ever?
Yes. According to Robbie Savage.
"The acid test used to be whether you could deliver the goods on a wet Wednesday night in Stoke,” Savage wrote in his column in The Mirror.
“But if Lionel Messi comes to the Premier League with Manchester City – and I'll believe it when I see it – I can't wait to see how he performs against the champions at Anfield.
“Last time Messi ran the gauntlet of the Kop in full voice, Barcelona crashed to a 4-0 defeat on one of the greatest European nights in Liverpool's history.
And if Messi signing for City actually happens, with all the eye-watering numbers involved for a 33-year-old, perhaps it will settle the argument once and for all – whether he is the greatest player of modern times, or whether the crown belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo.
“At present, Ronaldo may be a fraction ahead on this judge's scorecard because he has won seven titles in three different countries with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – as well as winning Euro 2016 with Portugal.
“But seeing Messi in club football on English soil would be the equivalent of Pele or Diego Maradona on these shores – a privilege.
“Could Messi do it week in, week out in the Premier League? Of course he could – the man is a genius.
“But English football is not just physically demanding now. There is no such thing as an easy away game. Not at Turf Moor, or Selhurst Park, or Bramall Lane or Elland Road.”
GIVEMESPORT's Rob Hoskin says:
We understand what Savage is trying to say but we don’t agree with the notion that Messi can’t be considered the GOAT because he’s only ever played in Spain for Barcelona.
Everyone knows Messi could have gone elsewhere and won league titles. He just didn’t want to.
Let’s be honest La Liga is hardly a farmer’s league, is it?
Of course, we’re all desperate for Messi to come to the Premier League but he really doesn’t have anything to prove.
His six Ballon d’Ors, 634 goals and 33 trophies at Barcelona have done that already, thank you very much.